What is the Psychology of Religion and Why is it Important?

The psychology of religion is the study of how and why human beings think about, believe in, and devise behaviours (such as rituals) that concern supernatural ideas (gods, forces, realms, etc.). In other words, what in our brains makes us religious? 

Anyone can study the psychology of religion, but the most ground-breaking research is conducted by scientists in the fields of psychology, anthropology, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience.

For example, a psychologist might induce anxiety in a group of people to see if they express greater religious belief than a non-anxious group. An anthropologist might study an indigenous culture to determine if their rituals are shared by other cultures. An evolutionary biologist might compare the likelihood of survival for religious and atheistic societies. A neuroscientist might examine the parts of the brain that are active when religious beliefs are expressed.

This research is necessary because the simple explanation that “people are religious because their parents were” does not address how religions get started, why they appear in every culture, why religious parents have atheistic children and vice versa, and why these ostensibly wasteful ideas and practices have survived natural selection.

Furthermore, the suggestion that religion exists because “powerful leaders use it control people” does not explain why supernatural ideas are so prevalent (ghosts, magic, immortal souls, etc.), regardless of whether they are promoted, prohibited, or ignored by authorities, or why these ideas come so intuitively to people, regardless of whether they are explicitly believed (even atheists are reluctant to speak ill of the dead or sell their own souls).

Centuries of less biased analysis have directed scholars away from "force and control" explanations for religion, and toward three explanations that rely on empirical data.

1. Cognitive explanations suggest that our brains are hardwired to find religious ideas attractive, attention-grabbing, memorable, and intuitive (i.e., they come naturally). Often called “the cognitive science of religion,” these explanations require that evolution hardwired our brains for religion, or that religion hijacked what was already hardwired. For example, an evolved disposition to assume the presence of other beings and entities (such as predators) — because it is better to be safe than sorry — may be why it is so easy to imagine gods.

2. Evolutionary explanations suggest that religious societies had an advantage over non-religious societies during human evolution. For example, a fear of divine punishment might cause religious people to cooperate better with each other, increasing the likelihood that they survive and pass on their traditions. Social activities such as religious rituals may also facilitate bonding, synchrony, and cooperation within a society.

3. Emotional/Motivational explanations suggest that people are drawn to religion because of the psychological benefits it provides. Beliefs about benevolent gods, an eternal afterlife, and a meaningful existence are emotionally comforting, while rituals may provide a sense of control over unpredictable events. People may unconsciously bias their reasoning to reach these comforting conclusions, particularly if they are experiencing negative emotions (e.g., an elevated fear of death).
   
   

Each of these explanations is informed by the history of religion, as documented by ancient scholars, modern anthropologists, historians, and archaeologists. For example, grave goods (burial objects) can reveal the beliefs that were important in ancient societies (e.g., regarding an afterlife), mythology and literature can recount the narratives and deities that traditionally resonate with people (e.g., flood myths), and religious art can depict how deities are perceived by believers (e.g., in anthropomorphic ways).

If we want to understand religion and the reasons why people are so intoxicated with it, we need to examine this history, discover trends, and construct psychological theories about why human beings think and behave in these ways. The reward is to understand a large part of the human condition and, perhaps, to master its effect on us.